Curriculum

What does your child learn at school each day? This is a question which every parent wants to know.

Reception

In Reception, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework which is split into 'Prime' and 'Specific' areas.

The EYFS areas cover learning and development which shape the activities and experiences for all pupils in Early Years settings. The Early Learning Goals help pupils to work towards the skills, knowledge and understanding that the pupils should have at the end of the academic year in which they turn 5 (reception year).

The curriculum is split into 7 areas of development. They are all important and inter connected.

The 3 'Prime' areas focus on communication and language; physical development; personal, social and emotional development.

The 'Specific' areas focus on Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding of the World and Expressive Arts and Design.

Further information is available of http://www.foundationyears.org.uk

Key Stages 1 & 2 (Years 1-6)

A new National Curriculum was introduce in England in 2014 with the main aim of raising standards in schools. The National Curriculum (2014) forms a part of our school's curriculum offer. At St Andrew's we deliver a creative curriculum on a two year cycle. All classes cover 6 topics a year and the chosen topics are shared with parents at the beginning of each academic year during our 'Meet the Teacher' evening.

The school teaches Reading and Writing skills through the Power of Reading scheme of work, which puts quality children's literature at the heart of all English learning.

The school teaches Phonics systematically using 'Letters and Sounds'. Phonics is taught daily in Foundation stage and Key Stage 1. There are regular assessments of each child's phonics progress throughout the year so that teachers know when a pupil is ready to move onto the next phase of the program. Key words are taught alongside phonics to ensure that non phonetic patterns are also known.

Our Reading Scheme consists of books from a variety of published schemes of work which have been carefully banded together, in a graduated scheme. This offers pupils breadth and depth when selecting appropriate reading materials. Pupils are also taught explicit reading skills through guided reading sessions.

Our curriculum is broad and balanced. It aims to provide a structured program for all pupils, while at the same time catering for the individual needs of each child. There are 4 core subject areas: English (Reading, Writing, Spelling & Grammar); Maths; Science & Computing along with the foundation subjects which are History, Geography, Music, Art, PE, Design and Technology. Pupils in KS2 are given the opportunity to learn French which is taught by a specialist French teacher.

As a Church of England school, the distinctive Christian ethos permeates all that we do and the core Christian values run alongside the modern British values and underpin all areas of our curriculum.

At St Andrew's RE is taught explicitly from a Christian perspective, using the St Albans Diocese Scheme of Work.

To ensure the development of the whole child, the curriculum also makes provision for the Personal, Social, Healthy education. This also includes recognising that the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) development of our pupils plays a significant part in their ability to grow, learn and achieve.